Means to eliminate drippage of condensation in open-view frozen food cases



June 2 1, 1949. J. A. BRIN'KOETER MEANS T0 ELIMINATE DRIPPAGE OF CONDENSATION 4 IN OPEN-VIEW FROZEN FOOD CASES Filed Oct. 2B, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 2l, 1949. J. A. BRINKoE'rER 2,473,781

MEANS T0 ELIMINATE DRIPPAGE OF CONDENSATION IN OPEN*VIEW FROZEN FOOD'CASES ATTORNEY.

June 2l, 1949. J. A. BRINKOETER 2,473,781

MEANS T0 ELIMINA'IE DRIPPAGE OF CONDENSATION IN OPEN-VIEW FROZEN FOOD GASES ATTO R N EY.

Patented June 21, 1949 MEANS TO ELIMINATE DRIPPAGE OF CON- DENSATION IN OPEN-VIEW FROZEN FOOD CASES Julius A. Brinkoeter, San ntonio, Tex., assignor to Ed Friedrich, Inc., San Antonio, Tex., a. corporation of Texas Application October 28, 1947, Serial No. 782,514

4 Claims. (CI. 62-8`9.5)

Open top or openview refrigerator cases usually have a horizontal semi-ceiling or overhang above the food chamber and to the rear of the top opening. Experience has shown that the Iwalls of the refrigerator surrounding the opening in the top and the semi-ceiling sweat or cause condensation of moisture thereon.

Heretofore it has been found that by applying a certain amount of heat to the walls surrounding the top opening, the condensation can, in large measure, be eliminated. However, it has been thought inadvisable to apply heat to the semiceiling and hence moisture will condense thereon.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved semi-ceiling construction whereby any condensation thereon will gravitate to a drain trough or gutter from which it will be conducted to a main drain pipe at the back of the refrigerai of the same.

Figs. 3 and 3al when connected on the line a--b constitute a schematic View of the circulating' system employed in connection with my invention.

In the drawing I represents the refrigerator case, which according to my invention is provided with an overhang 2 beginning at a suitable distance above the level of the front Window 6 and extending downwardly forwardly from the rear wall to a suitable point above the cooling plates 4,-

thus providing a chamber or recess P.

A vertical wall 3 extends up from the front end of the ceiling 2 a substantial distance where it meets a forwardly-upwardly inclined mirror I1 that extends up to a canopy I5 which carries a suitable luminary I 6. The front face of Wall 3 ismetal lined as at I4 behind which lining at the lower endof the ceiling 2 is a warming coil 1 that is connected with side warming coils 1b and with the usual compressor (not shown) vla Pipe 9.

'I'he underside of the inclined ceiling 2 is also metal lined, as at I0. Just back of the lower part of the coil 'Ia is a gutter II which extends from end to end of the case I and below the lower edge of the lining I0 andinto which gutter condensate that forms on lining I0 will drip. A pipe I2 connects the trough or gutter I I with the main drain pipe I3 of the refrigerator.

The usual cooling coils 4 are provided in the food compartment, the contents of which compartment can be viewed Via window 6 or via mirror I1 through the top opening T. O.

'Ihe cooling coils 4 are connected with a heat exchanger 8 and are connectable to refrigerating lines in the usual way.

5 is an open chamber above the semi-ceiling 2 and in back of the mirror I 'I in which the heat .exchanger 8 lies,

In practice I prefer to make the lining Ill of aluminum, although other suitable metals can be employed.

Due to warm air meeting'cold air below the semi-ceiling condensation on the liner I Il will take place and run down into trough or gutter Il from whence the liquid will drain out via pipe I2 as before intimated.

The constructions of the cooling or freezing plate-coils 4, the warming coils 1, 1b, the heat exchanger 8 are not of my invention but are a1- ready known; see, for example, these structures as disclosed in the application filed September 15, 1947 by Clinton C. Brinkoeter, Serial No. 774,055. In practice the coils 1a, 1b are connected in series to the high side of the compressor in a by-pass that is provided with a restrictor that allows but a small amount of the refrigerant to :Iiow through the coils 1a, 1".

Due to the back refrigerating plate-coil 4a, the air when cooled drops, causing air to circulate, somewhat as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. 'I'he warm air entering the opening T. O. in the case flows under the gutter I I, replacing the cooler air in recess P that has dropped at the back plate-coil la.

The cold surface of the metal lining III will cause moisture to condense on it as the air passes over it, which moisture, due to the sharply angled surface, will not drip but will flow down into gutter II from whence it will ilow via pipe I2 to drain pipe I3.

The coils 1a, Ib prevent condensation on the front face of the wall 3 and on the end walls of the case.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 3, the arrangementv and operation of the uid circulating system will be clear. In these figures I8 is a T which is connected in the line I9. The line I9 runs from a reservoir 39 through the heat exchanger 8 to an expansion valve 36 that is in turnv connected via a verm Pipe 31 to the duct il in the right hand plate l (Pig. 3*)

Il is a pipe that leads from the manifold o! the plate coil l* through the heat exchanger I to the inlet 2l of the compressor 21.

22 designates the inlet to the condenser 23 to which the pipe Il from the outlet 2l of the compressor connects.

A pipe 25 from the compressor outlet side connects to a restriction capillary tube 2l to which the intake end of the sweat eliminator coils connects. 'Ihe outlet end of the sweat eliminator 1*-1 ,connects via the pipe l to the T Il. The compressor 21-is driven by the usual motor Il.

2l indicates the lower manifold and Il the upper manifold of each plate coil I. The several manifolds 29 are connected to the main expansion line manifold 42 while the several manifolds Il are connected to the suction line manifold Il.

The line 3i is connected to the intake end of the plate coil 4* via a connection 32, and the outlet end of the plate coil l* is connected to the suction line 2l.

ll, 34, 35 and 3l are manifolds of plate coil 4. The direction of the ilow of iluid in the system is indicated by arrows.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. it is thought that the construction, operation and advantages of the invention will readily appear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In an open top i'rozen food refrigerator case having a back wall, side walls and a front window with a top rail and having warming coils around 4two sides and the back of the top opening of the refrigerator: the invention which comprises a semi-ceiling extending u p w a r d l y-rearwardly from the back of the top opening of the refrigerator and cooperating with the back wall of the case to provide a recess, and a condensate drain gutter along the lower edge of said semi-ceiling, and a drain pipe leading from said gutter to the outside of the case.

2. In an open top frozen food refrigerator case having a front wall with a top window and having side and end walls and an intermediate vertical wall extending upwardly from a point below the level of the top of the window: the invention which comprises a semi-ceiling of heat insulation which semi-ceiling extends upwardly-rearwardly from the lower edge of lsaid intermediate wall to said back wall. a metal sheath over the face of said semlceiling, and a drain trough at the bottom of the same to catch condensate that drips from said sheath.

3. In an open top refrigerator case. rear, end and front walls and a bottom wall enclosing a food chamber. cooling plates in said chamber, a semi-ceiling over the rear portion of said food chamber, a vertical intermediate wall extending from the iront of said semi-ceiling upwardly therefrom, the semi-ceiling adjacent the rear wall being at a higher level than the front of the semi-ceiling, a condensing plate on the under face of said semi-ceiling, a gutter under the lower edge of said plate. and a drain from said gutter to the outside of the case.

4. In an open top refrigerator case, rear, end and front walls and a bottom wall. enclosing a food chamber, transversely disposed cooling plate-coils in said food chamber and a longitudinally extending back plate-coil adjacent said rear wall and extending above the transversely disposed plate-coils, a semi-ceiling located over the rear portion of the food chamber, a vertical intermediate wall extending upwardly from the front of said semi-ceiling, said semi-ceiling being upwardly-rearwardly inclined, and having on its lower face a metal liner, a gutter under the lower edge of said liner. and a drain from said gutter to the outside of the case.

JULIUS A. BRINKOE'IER.

No references cited. 

